Moreleigh
| Moreleigh | |
| Devon | |
|---|---|
 All Saints Church, Moreleigh | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SX766527 |
| Location: | 50°21’42"N, 3°44’10"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Totnes |
| Postcode: | TQ9 |
| Dialling code: | 01548 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | South Hams |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
South Hams |
Morleigh is a small village in the south of Devon, within the Stanborough Hundred, seven miles west of Dartmouth, and as far north of Kingsbridge.
Name
Throughout the village history it has been recorded with various spellings. It is today almost universally known and spelled as 'Moreleigh', which is how it appears on Ordance Survey maps.
Other spellings include:
- Morleigh, which is still used locally and which spelling appears on older road signs;
- Morley, as was used for very long periods, and is the name used by Viscount Bovington when he was to be elevated to an earl;
- Morleygh in 15th-century historical documents;[1]
- Morlei in the Domesday Book.
Churches
All Saints' Church is small and ancient building, said to have been built by Sir Peter Fitzacre: Sir Peter had killed the parson of Woodleigh to whose parish Morley then belonged, and as a penance from his crime, the Pope ordered him to build a church at Morleigh. The Fisacre tomb is part of the church.
The church is a Grade I listed building.[2]
The village had a chapel, the 'Protestant Dissenters of Union Chapel'.[3] It is now a private dwelling again.
History
In the Domesday Book the manor was recorded as having nine households and being within Diptford Hundred.[4] Alfred de Breton (AKA Auvrai Le Breton) was the tenant in chief.[5] one of his descendants Richard le Breton went on to kill Thomas Becket.
Morley Manor has been dismantled but small signs of existence still survive near Place Barton farm, which is adjacent to the church and rectory. Morley Manor has been recorded as having been owned by the Ufflete and Maynard families, it was also owned by John Shapland Esq before passing to John Seale Esq (listed as Teale in the church records) eventually being bought by Viscount Bovington, who become the 1st Earl of Morley in 1815.
About the village
The New Inn is the village pub, historically used as court house and meeting place,[1] it was also the scene of a shooting incident within the pub [6][7]
The village also had another Inn called the London Inn, according to census records (1841 - 1861) was situated at Morley cross, which is within the village but technically across the historic Morleigh parish boundary and with in the historic Halwell parish.
The village has a village hall[8] and an active village life with various activities for all age groups.
Outside links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information on Moreleigh from GENUKI
- ↑ National Heritage List 1108278: Church of All Saints including Fishacre Tomb
- ↑ Barrow, John Henry (1834). The Mirror of Parliament for the ... Session of the ... Parliament of Great Britain and Ireland. https://books.google.com/books?id=wo5HAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA662&lpg=PA662&dq=Protestant+Dissenters+morleigh#v=onepage&q=Protestant%20Dissenters%20morleigh&f=false.
- ↑ Domesday map - Moreleigh
- ↑ Hemyock Castle
- ↑ Death Secret of the Aintree Winner's Girl - The Daily Mirror, 1996 on The Free Library
- ↑ The European Court of Human Rights (Third Section), sitting on 17 October 2000
- ↑ Devon Village Hall: Moreleigh
